System of control and apparatus therefor



A ril 15. 1924. 1490,i93

L. M. ASPINWALL SYSTEM OF CONTROL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR Filed Nov. 29 1921 IN VENTOR L aub/ZAsp/h wa d ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS M. ASPINWALL, O'IF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIG & MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VAN IA.

SYSTEM OF CONTROL AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

Application filed November 29, 1921.

To cZ/ M /mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, Louis M. AsrINwALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a. new and useful Improvement in Systems of Control and Apparatus Therefor, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to control systems and apparatus therefor and it has particular relation to control systems for governing the brake mechanism of railway vehicles.

One object of my invention is to provide a control system for governing the brakes of a motor vehicle that shall be simple and economical in construction and positive and reliable in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide a control system for governing the operation of electro-pneumatic brakes, whereby a number of different operations may be effected by means of a single conductor.

Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved polarized relay that shall be simple and economical in construction and more positive and reliable in operation than those heretofore known to the art.

Briefly speaking, my invention consists in employing a control system for effecting three different types of operation of the brakes of a vehicle by means of a controller and a single conductor through the train and providing a polarized-relay device having two auxiliary coils, in addition to the customary actuating coil.

For a better understanding of my invention, reference may be made to the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 of which is a plan view of a polarized relay constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, in side elevation, of the relay device illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a diagramatic view of the brake mechanism of a railway vehicle and the circuits ei'nployed to govern operation of the brakes.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, a relay device 1 comprises an insulating base member 2, a, plurality of stationary contact members 3 and 4, which are secured thereto, and a. control finger 5 Serial No. 5 18,573.

that is movably mounted betwen the stationary contact members 3 and 4.

The control finger 5 is secured to a pivotally-mounted arm 6, by means of a plurality of screws 7. The magnetizable arm 6 is pivotally mounted Within a non-magnetizable bracket member 8 by means of a pin 9. The pivotally mounted arm 6 is permanently magnetized and is surrounded by two oppositely-wound magnetizing coils 11 and 12 which are so energized that they maintain the polarity of the nlagnetizable arm 6 constant, as hereinafter described in detail. The arm 6 is maintained midway between the stationary control fingers 3 and 4 by means of two resilient members or coil springs 13 and 14 which are attached to the arm 6 and to a plurality of posts 15, the latter being mounted upon the base member 2. Considering the magnetic circuit of my relay device, the arm 6 constitutes the portion magnetized by either the coil 11 or the coil 12, and a core member 16, together with a magnetizable suporting member 17, constitute the portion magnetized by a. coil 18.

The magnetizing coil 18 surrounds the core member 16 and is employed to govern the direction of flux traversing the magnetic circuit just described. The energization of the coil 18 is governed by a. circuit comprising conductor 19, supporting member 17, conductor 17a, coil 18 and conductor 20. The energization of the coil 11 is governed by a. circuit comprising conductor 19, supporting member 17, bracket member 8, arm 6, control finger 5, stationary contact member 3, conductor 21, auxiliary magnetizing coil 11 and conductor 22.

The magnetizing coil 12 may be energized by a circuit comprising the conductor 19, supporting member 17, bracket member 8, pivotally mounted arm 6, control finger 5, stationary contact member 4, conductor 23, auxiliary magnetizing coil 12 and conduc tor 24.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawing, the polarized relay device 1 is employed to govern a brake mechanism 26. The brake mechanism 26 comprises a rod 27. which is employed to actuate the brake shoes, and an arm 28, which is rotatably mounted upon the supporting member 29a, the latter constituting a portion of the vehicle body. The pivotally-mounted member 28 may be actuated by a iston 29 and rod 30. The piston 29 is slida ly mounted within a cylinder which is provided with an opening 33 at the end opposite the piston rod 30.

Air is supplied to the cylinder 32 from an air reservoir 34 through an application valve mechanism 35 and through a portion of the release valve mechanism 36, hereinafter described. Air is supplied to the reservoir 34 from an air-line pipe 37 through the fluid conveyor 38.

The application valve 35 may be of any well-known construction, but has been illustrated as having a valve member 39, which is normally maintained in its open position by means of a resilient member 41 and which may be actuated to its closed position upon energization of a magnetizing coil 42.

The release valve mechanism may comprise a normally open connecting valve member 43 for permitting air from a reservoir 34 to enter the cylinder 32, and a normally closed valve member 44 for re leasing the air that is confined within the brake cylinder 32. The mechanically connected valve members 43 and 44 are maintained in their open and closed posit-ions, respectively, which are those illustrated in the drawing, by means of a resilient member 45.

An actuating coil 46 is employed for simultaneously actuating the connecting valve 43 to its closed position and the release valve 44 to its open position. The energization of the actuating coils 42 and 46 is governed by a controller 48 having a release or running position, a lap position, and an application osition, as indicated by the corresponding egends. A storage battery 49 or any other source of electrical energy for energizing the control system is provided.

When the controller 48 occupies its appl'r cation position, both the coil 42 of the ap plication valve mechanism 35 and the coil 46 of the release valve mechanism 36 are deenergized, thereby permitting the springs 41 and 45 of the valve mechanisms 35 and 36, respectively, to actuate the valve mem' here 39, 43 and 44 to the positions illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

Under such conditions, air is supplied to the brake cyllnde-r 32 from the reservoir 34 through a pipe 51, valve 35, pipe 52, valve 36 and pipe 54 to the brake cylinder 32.

hen air pressure is applied to the pis ton 29, it is actuated to operate the piston rod 30, thereby causing the brakes to be applied, in accordance with familiar practice. As the valve member 44 of the release-valve mechanism 36 occupies its closed position, air from the cylinder 32 cannot escape through the pipe 54 past the valve member 44 to the exhaust port 56.

'hen the controller 48 is actuated to the release position, a circuit is established from the positive terminal of the battery 49 through control fingers 57 and 58, which are bridged by contact member 59 of the controller 4S, conductors 61, 62 and 20, magnetizing coil 18 of the polarized relay device 1, conductor 17o, supporting member 17 and conductors l9 and 64 and control fingers 65 and 66, which are bridged by the contact segment 67 of the controller 48, to the neg ative terminal of the battery 49.

l/Vhen the coil 18 of the switching device 1 is magnetized by a current traversing the circuit in the direction illustrated by the solid-line arrow, the south pole of the core member 16 is situated adjacent to the north pole of the pivotally-mounted arm 6, thereby causing the arm 6 to be actuated towards the core member 16 until the control finger 5 engages the stationary contact member 3.

Under this condition, a circuit is established from the positively-energized conductor 62, through conductors 68 and 69, actuating coil 46 of the release-valve mecha nism 36, conductor 22, magnetizing coil 11, conductor 21, stationary contact member 3, control finger 5, pivotally-mounted arm 6, bracket member 8, supporting member 17 and conductor 19 to Ground.

The coil 11 is energized by a current traversing it in the direction indicated by the solid-line arrow, and will, therefore, tend to magnetize the pivotally-mounted arm 6 in the same direction as that in which it is permanently magnetized, thereby increasing the flux which tends to maintain the arm 6 adjacent to the core member 16.

hen the coil 46 of the release-valve mechanism 36 is energized, the connecting-valve member 43 is closed and the release-valve member 44 is opened. Since the connectingvalve member 43 is closed, air can no longer be supplied from the reservoir 34 to the cylinder 32, and, since the release-valve member 44 is opened, air will be exhausted from the cylinder 32 through ipes 54 past the valve member 44 to the exliaust port 56.

When the air pressure within the cylinder 32 is released, the pressure upon the brake mechanism 26, comprising the piston 29, will be removed, whereupon the resilient member 3211, mounted Within the cylinder 32, will actuate the piston 49 toward the opening 33 and the brakes will be released.

When the controller 48 is actuated to the lap position, a circuit is established from the positive end of the battery 49 through control fingers 57 and 65, which are bridged by contact segment 72, conductor 64, Ground, conductor 19, supporting member 17, conductor 17a, magnetizing coil 18, conductors 20, 62 and 61, and control fingers 58 and 66, which are bridged by contact segment 7 3, to the negative terminal of the battery 49.

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The current that energizes the coil 18 traverses it in the direction illustrated by the broken-line arrow, thereby causing the coil 18 to change the polarity of the core member 16. The polarity of the core member 16 will now be so chan ed that its north pole is adjacent to the nort pole of the pivotally-mounted arm 6. This condition will cause :the arm 6 to be actuated in a clockwise direction towards the stationary contact member 4.

When the control finger 5 of the switching device 1 enga s the stationary contact mem ber 4, a circuit is established from the positive terminal of the battery 49 throu h control fingers 57 and 65, which are bridged by contact segment 72 of the controller 48, conductor 64, Ground, conductor 19, supporting member 17, bracket member 8, pivotallymounted arm 6, control finger 5, stationary contact member 4, conductor 23, magnetizing coil 12, conductor 24, actuating coil 42 of the application valve mechanism 35, conductors 74 and 61, and control fingers 58 and 66, which are bridged by contact segment 73 of the controller 48, to the negative terminal of the battery 49.

The energization of the magnetizing coil 12 is effected by current traversing the coil 12 in the direction illustrated by the brokenline arrow, thereby causing the polarity of the coil 12 to correspond to that of the permanently magnetized pivotally-mounted arm 6. In this way,the strength of the magnetic flux that forces the arm 6 away from the core member 16 is increased to effectually prevent any chance of the polarity of the arm 6 being reversed by the mag net-izing action of coil 18.

When the coil 42 of the application valve mechanism 35 is energized, the valve member 39 assumes its closed position, thereby preventing the passage of air from the reservoir 34 to the cylinder 32. Thus, when the controller 48 is actuated to the lap position, the pressure upon the piston 29 of the air Within the cylinder 32 will become substantially constant, in accordance with the usual practice.

From the above description, it is apparent that I have provided means for e ecting three different types of operation of the brake mechanism of a railway vehicle by means of a single wire, thereby reducing the number of Wires traversing a train.

By employing a polarized relay device having two auxiliary actuating coils 11 and 12, I have increased the force which tends to maintain the polarized relay in its several operative positions, and also provided a means to prevent the polarity of the movable member from becoming reversed, thereby destroying the action of the relay.

While I have shown the apparatus and control system in their preferred forms, it

is apparent that minor modifications may be made in both Without departing from the spirit of my invention. I desire, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a switching device, the combination with a plurality of stationary contact members, of a control finger, a permanently magnetized member for selectively actuating said finger against said contact members, means comprisin a coil for actuating said magnetized mem er, and a second coil for increasing the flux density of said magnetized member, said second. coil being energized only upon said control finger engaging one of said stationary contact members.

2. In a switchin device, the combination with a plurality o stationary contact members, of a control finger, a permanently magnetized member for selectively actuating said finger against said contact members means comprising a coil for actuatin sai magnetized member, and a plurality o auxiliary coils for increasing the flux density of said magnetized member.

3. In a switching device, the combination with a plurality of stationary contact members, of a control finger, a permanently magnetized member for selectively actuating said finger against said contact members, means comprising a coil for actuating said magnetized member, means for changin the direction of the current traversing sai coil and a plurality of coils for increasing the flux density of said magnetized member, said coils being selectively energized upon said control finger engaging one of said contact members.

4. A switching device comprising a plurality of stationary contact members, a movable contact member, a magnetized member for selectively effecting engagement between said movable contact member and the respeetive stationary members, means comprising a coil for actuating said magnetized member, and a second coil for varying the flux density of said magnetized member and controlled by said movable contact member.

5. In a' braking device, the combination with brake mechanism and means comprising a cylinder and a piston for actuating said mechanism, of a reservoir for supplying fluid pressure to said piston, means comprising a valve member for shutting off the uid pressure from said reservoir, means comprising a coil for actuating said valve member, means comprising a plurality of valve members for shutting off the fluid pressure from said reservoir and for releasing the fluid pressure upon said piston, a coil for actuating said last-mentioned valve members, and means comprising a controller having only one conductor for selectively governing the energization of said coils.

6. In a braking device, the combination with brake mechanism, and means comprising a plurality of actuating coils for effecting difi'crent types of operation of said mechanism, of means comprising a relay having a plurality of positions for selectively governing the energization of said coils, and additional means for increasing the force that maintains said relay in a certain position.

7. In a braking device, the combination with brake mechanism, and means comprising a plurality of actuating coils for effecting three different types of operation of said mechanism, of means comprising a controller and a polarized relay for governing the energization of said coils, said controller being provided with only one conductor for selectively energizing said coils to effect two different types of operation of said brake mechanism, the third type of operation being effected by said first means upon the deenergization of said coils.

8. In a braking device, the combination with brake mechanism, and means comprising a plurality of actuating coils for effecting difl'erent types of operation of said mechanism, of means comprising a polarized relay having a plurality of positions for selectively governing the ener izationof said coils, said relay being provi ed with a plurality of auxiliary coils for increasing the force that maintains said relay in one of its positions.

9. In a switchin device, the combination with a plurality o stationary contact members, of a control finger, a permanently magnetized member for selectively actuating said finger against said contact members, resilient means for biasing said finger to its inoperative position, means comprising a coil for selectively actuating said magnetized member against said contact members, and a plurality of oppositely Wound coils surrounding said magnetized member for increasing the flux density thereof, said oppositely-wound coils being selectively energized, depending upon which of said contact members is engaged by said finger.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 14th day of November, 1921.

LOUIS M. ASPINWALL. 

